The Minister of the Federal Capital Authority, Nyesom Wike, has declared that if subpoenaed by the court, he will testify in the current trial of Nnamdi Kanu, the incarcerated leader of the outlawed Indigenous People of Biafra.
Wike mentioned this during his monthly media chat on Friday, when asked about being cited as a witness by Kanu.
The minister’s words come after Kanu filed a motion with the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, alerting the court that he will begin his defense on Friday, October 24, 2025.
The IPOB leader also stated that he would call 23 witnesses, including the FCT minister, former Minister of Defense Gen. Theophilus Danjuma (retd), and former Chief of Army Staff Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd), among others.
During the talk, Wike indicated that he had not requested to be designated as a witness and had not been served with any papers by the court.
He went on to say that if he was subpoenaed, he would be forced to go to court to submit his testimony and that he couldn’t become a witness by reading newspaper stories.
“If you see Nnamdi Kanu, you ask him why he listed me. I did not go to him to say I want to be a witness; you are the one saying that. So, if you see him, ask him, “Why did you list Wike as one of your witnesses?”
“You don’t become a witness by reading a newspaper. Nobody has served me process; nobody has subpoenaed me.
“So, because I saw Wike has been listed, therefore, I began to run helter-skelter. No, you do not do that. If I am served, if I am subpoenaed to come and give witness or to give evidence, I must obey the court; I must appear,” he said.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
